A year after millions became enamored with him as “Joel” in HBO’s The Last of Us, Pedro Pascal won his first Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Pascal’s stoic and protective nature as Joel in the beloved zombie show had fans rooting for the The Mandalorian actor ever since it premiered in January 2023. Fan edits of Pascal have graced many a TikTok screen, with Gen-Zers crowing him as the “Zaddy.” His charm on-screen and off has followed him ever since his Game of Thrones days, and it seems that on Saturday night at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall, it was no different.
After former co-star Storm Reid announced his name, Pedro Pascal seemed the most surprised at winning Outstanding Performance for a Male Actor in a Drama Series. Gracing the stage with his shirt slightly unbuttoned and a bit unsteady on his feet, Pascal’s speech was candid from the get-go.
“I’m a little drunk,” he tells the room full of stars. “I thought I could get drunk.”
With his voice shaking and tears in his eyes, Pascal thanks HBO before quipping, “Geez Louise, I’m making a fool of myself,” much to the audience’s amusement.
He goes on to honor his fellow nominees, whose names “he can’t remember right now,” before thanking his team, including a nod to The Last of Us video game co-creator Neil Druckmann.
“I’m going to have a panic attack, and I’m gonna leave,” he concludes before exiting the stage in a hurry.
@dailydot “I am gonna have a panic attack and I am gonna leave!” People are loving the honest speech#PedroPascal gave at the #SAGAwards ♬ original sound – The Daily Dot
In too much of a hurry, it seems, as the drama actor left his SAG Award envelope on stage.
“You left it behind,” Beef actor Steven Yeun told him while Pascal interviewed with Queer Eye’s Tan France post-win. Yeun himself just won a SAG Award for his role on Netflix’s hit Beef before graciously handing Pascal the envelope and roping him into a hug.
When asked how he plans to celebrate his win, Pascal tells France, “I’m gonna make out with Kieran Culkin [at the afterparty],” referencing the fake feud he’s had with the Succession actor since the Golden Globes and who was also nominated for the same SAG award. “That will be my revenge.”
